Culture: Exploring the Mid-Autumn Festival

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When is the Mid-Autumn Festival?

An autumnal scene

The Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhōng Qiū Jié) celebrates the full moon (yuè liang) on the night and gives thanks to the Autumn harvest.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eight month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

In China, it is the second biggest festival after the Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival (Chūn Jié).

During this time, try saying in Mandarin:

Zhōng Qiū Jié kuài lè! – Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

An autumnal scene
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How is the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated?

Chinese paper lanterns

Similar to most Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion.

Family and friends come together on the day to watch the full moon and share dinner (wǎn cān).

In some communities, lanterns (dēng lóng) are hung for the festival too.

Why not try making your own Chinese paper lantern?

Chinese paper lanterns
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What do people eat at the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Chinese mooncake
Image caption,
Chinese mooncake

The food (shí wù) for the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake (yuè bǐng).

Yuè bǐng are round pastries with rich, thick fillings and are usually accompanied with tea (chá).

Chinese mooncake
Image caption,
Chinese mooncake
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Quiz

Play Dash and Blink: Missing Mandarin! game

Construct simple phrases and develop an understanding of vocabulary and grammar with this KS2 Mandarin game.

Play Dash and Blink: Missing Mandarin!
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